Missing man’s body recovered from canal

Officers searching for a missing Stone man have recovered a body from the canal at Meaford.

Stewart Holmes, aged 65, was reported missing after he was last seen at his home in Priory Road at around 12pm on Sunday 9th December.

Detective Inspector Lesley Fowler said: “Although formal identification has yet to take place, we do believe we have found Mr Holmes’s body.

“At this stage, we are not treating the death as suspicious. Our sympathies are with Mr Holmes’s family, who are receiving the support of specially-trained officers.”

The police issued an appeal for any sightings of Mr Holmes on Friday lunchtime and said they were becomingly increasingly concerned for his safety.